Hawks' Leddy gets comfortable

21-year-old develops into dependable defenseman, staple on power play

After two root canals and the installation of some wiring across his front teeth, the Blackhawks' Nick Leddy said recently, "I look more like a hockey player."

Despite the damage caused by taking a puck to his mouth Feb. 7 against the Coyotes, Leddy is looking more like a very good hockey player these days. The Minnesota native, who will turn 22 on March 20, has developed into one of the Hawks' most dependable defensemen. He's tied for second on the team with a plus-11 rating after Sunday night's game against the Oilers at the United Center.

"My plus-minus is a lot better, which is good," Leddy said. "I definitely feel a lot more comfortable. I think playing in Rockford (during the lockout) and gaining that confidence definitely helped out."

Leddy also has become a staple on the power play, with the Hawks looking to take advantage of his speed to move the puck.

"I'm an offensive defenseman so I'm trying to help create some offense," Leddy said. "Obviously the defense is No. 1 and you can always keep working on defense, (but) … trying to create plays and help the team score is what I'm trying to do."

Dot cons: After losing 36 of 55 faceoffs during their first regulation loss of the season, a 6-2 setback at the hands of the Avalanche on Friday night, the Hawks dropped into a tie for 20th in the NHL at 49.4 percent in the circle.

"We had a decent start to it and as we've trended lately we've gone on the negative side of 50-50," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We'll try to reinforce the importance of everybody on the line, be it the forwards and the 'D' helping out as well, and concentrate on the importance of coming up with the puck because lately it's been really going against us."

The Hawks heeded Quenneville's advice and won 40 of 64 against the Oilers on Sunday.

Sharp update: Winger Patrick Sharp missed his second game with a left shoulder injury. The veteran is expected to be sidelined three to four weeks. "I saw him (Sunday)," Quenneville said. "He seemed like he was progressing."